Hotel Highlights

Classic Kit Kemp decor

Excellent afternoon tea

99-seat private screening room

Overview

Firmdale’s kitsch-but-classy classic-meets-contemporary English elegance has landed in Manhattan. As you’d expect from anything Firmdale, as well as it dripping in Kit Kemp’s special blend of inspired fabrics, textured wallcoverings and colourful artworks, Crosby Street Hotel has a fabulous bar-restaurant. The socialising spills out of this chic space onto a patio on Lafayette Street as well as a central foliage-filled residents-only courtyard. And don’t think the fun stops there – downstairs in the basement event space, there’s even a zingy orange-leather Poltrona Frau-seated screening room.

Our favourite rooms

Each room is a one of a kind, individually designed with Kit Kemp’s signature style of tactile contemporary colours. We’re loathe to push one room over another, and staff like to make sure that repeat guests get to stay in a different room each time – not a policy we’d quibble with. However, the Junior Suites on the 10th and 11th floors have a winning combination of height and huge warehouse windows, giving them some of the best views in southern Manhattan.

Packing tips

Also

Check with the hotel if you can’t bear to be without your beasts – Crosby Street generally welcomes pets. Love movies? Sign up for the Sunday night film club in the 99-seat screening room.

Children

This hotel is better suited to couples.

Eco&dash;friendly

Crosby Street has been certified by the US Green Building council – one of the first NYC hotels to be so. There’s a kitchen garden on the roof, and there are plans to keep chickens up there too.

Food & Drink

◐View Gallery

Hotel Restaurant

Oak-floored, pewter-countered and opening onto a lovely courtyard garden, the Crosby Bar is the hotel’s sociable heart, serving Modern American dishes such as cheddar mac and cheese, smoked salmon on sourdough and the Crosby burger made with three cuts of beef. In homage to the hotel’s British roots, the afternoon tea is excellent.

Hotel Bar

The jaunty, jazzy huge and high-ceilinged space is a something-for-everyone spot, whether you’re after a champagne breakfast, a late-afternoon beer or an early-hours martini. We especially love the Bakelite phone/lamp hybrid artwork.

Last orders

There’re a 24-hour menu of brasserie-style bites.

Room service

The Crosby Bar is open from dawn to dusk and then some, with food served from 7am to 11pm.

Smith Insider

Dress code

Pattern-free YSL or Calvin Klein – no point competing with the decor.

Top table

In the courtyard in summer, by the courtyard in winter.

Local Guide

Worth getting out of bed for

Boutique spa Haven on Mercer Street (+1 212 343 3515; www.havensoho.com) will take care of all your beauty needs – ask for Yasmin if it’s waxing you’re after, and we recommend Gabby for a flawless manicure and pedicure. Liberty Helicopters on West 30th Street and 12th Avenue (+1 212 967 6464) will whisk you around the Manhattan skyline and out to the Statue of Liberty. It also offers airport transfers.

Local restaurants

You can’t say you’ve ‘done’ SoHo without having supped on champers and a three-tiered seafood platter at Balthazar on Spring Street in (+1 212 965 1785). La Esquina (114 Kenmare Street; +1 646 613 7100) is a favourite of grungy-glam New Yorkers in the know; they come here for perfectly executed Mexican food in a restored 1950s diner car. The always-packed Raoul’s (180 Prince Street; +1 212 966 3518) is a small, authentic French brasserie. Ask for one of the cosy lamp-lit banquettes for romantic dining à deux and a just a little extra space, or head into the beautiful enclosed garden at the back. Lure Fish Bar on Mercer Street has become a SoHo staple, serving beautifully presented seafood and award-winning sushi (+1 212 431 7676; www.lurefishbar.com). Make your brunch reservations at Public (+1 212 343 7011), a vast, loft-like space on Elizabeth Street with a cosmopolitan marvel of a menu. The 98-seat, Osteria Morini, (+1 212 965 8777; osteriamorini.com)on Lafayette Street, has a homey atmosphere and luscious pasta concoctions layered with flavour such as the truffled mascarpone ravioli, drizzled with melted butter and studded with bits of prosciutto. Owner and chef Michael White found his inspiration for the menu in the cuisine of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Grab a banquette seat in SoHo's sexy Boqueria SoHo (+1 212 343 4255; boquerianyc.com), sister restaurant to Boqueria in Flatiron. The classic tapas menu is expertly paired with spicy reds, crisp whites and always-smooth sangria. Savour burgers stacked with truffles and topped with giant onion rings, charcuterie and tuna tartar paired with excellent wines at Burger & Barrel (+1 212 334 7320).

Local bars

As much a restaurant as a bar, Schiller's Liquor Bar on Rivington Street is lovely for brunch or just a few drinks. Don’t let the boozy name fool you: this is also a great spot to take any little ones you might have tagging along. It has a great prix fixe kids’ menu (+1 212 260 4555). The wine bar next door to Public, The Monday Room (+1 212 343 7011; www.themondayroom.com) lets you sample a vast variety of vintages with the benefit of a personal sommelier. Do dinner at Balaboosta, which is Yiddish for 'the perfect housewife', at 214 Mulberry Street in nearby Nolita. Try the ceviche which changes daily or the grilled lamb chops topped with Persian lime sauce (+1 212 966 7366; balaboostanyc.com).

Local cafés

Café Gitane at 242 Mott Street (+1 212 334 9552) offers great French-Moroccan food in a simple café space; its outdoor tables are ideal for people-watching. Almost like a rickety old dining cart, Café Habana at 17 Prince Street (+1 212 625 2001) serves excellent Latin American and Mexican cuisine – the corn on the cob is out of this world. It makes one hell of a spicy Bloody Mary.

Crosby Street Hotel

Planes

Of New York’s three airports, domestic hub La Guardia is the closest, 10 miles from Crosby Street, but most international services touch down at JFK, a $45 cab ride away in southern Queens.

Trains

Long-distance Amtrak trains run in and out of Penn Station, 30 blocks north of Crosby Street. Grand Central takes care of rail travel in New York State. Prince Street, on the R and W lines, is the closest Metro station.

Automobiles

The cheap, easy travel combo of the subway and cabs make car hire unnecessary, but if you are bringing wheels, the hotel has plenty of parking space.

Reviews

Anonymous review

That Crosby Street Hotel – it has such a big head. Huge in fact. It’s sitting right there in the lobby, an enormous white metal frame of a skull, by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.
Yes, it’s an appalling joke I know, one I’m ashamed to say I serve up several times while staying at the stylish city slicker, but it’s worthy of attention, this giant cranium. Like the hotel…

Crosby Street Hotel

That Crosby Street Hotel – it has such a big head. Huge in fact. It’s sitting right there in the lobby, an enormous white metal frame of a skull, by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

Yes, it’s an appalling joke I know, one I’m ashamed to say I serve up several times while staying at the stylish city slicker, but it’s worthy of attention, this giant cranium. Like the hotel that it’s housed in, Plensa’s head is far from discreet; sitting assuredly in a reception area filled with art so playful and so gorgeously arranged that when Mr Smith and I check in we felt compelled to take photos. And then ask whether we can purchase a mini-head to take home. (We cannot.)

Like any of the delightful, riotous Firmdale Hotel group properties lovingly created by interior designer Kit Kemp and her hotelier husband Tim, the Crosby is not short on art, whimsy, stripes, comfort or motifs. Dogs are the keynotes of choice in this, their first American hotel (the hotel logo features a pooch, there are Justine Smith’s papier-mâché hounds on the ground floor, and snapshots of smoosh-faced Soho micro-dogs adorning the lifts as taken by daughter, Willow Kemp).

Our room (bordering on ‘girly’ says Mr Smith) is luxurious, thoughtfully designed, and instantly homey. And it is big. Large-enough-to-swing-a-dog big – and not just a handbag hound. Beautiful loft-style floor-to-roof windows comprise one side of bedrooms, offering us a view east over the gloriously grotty Lower East Side and a rare vista of the Manhattan skyline. It is the perfect contrast to Kit’s fearless, flamboyant use of colour on the bedhead, lounge and dressmaking mannequin; here exploding with juicy apple greens, ochre yellows and musky pink in florals and stripes. The bathroom is cavernous and techy, with anti-mist mirrors, bespoke Miller Harris toiletries, heated towel racks (so British) and a waterproof TV and remote for the bath.

Starving, I snack on chocolate from the perfectly edited minibar, a mischievous space where David Hirsch Wellness Supercharged Greens mingle with Krug and Intimacy Kits; I browse hotel dossier’s razor-sharp list of things to do/see/eat taking notes to pass onto friends, so as to appear hip, cool and utterly in-the-know.

As Mr Smith leaves to spend silly money over at discounted electronics store B&H up and over on Ninth Avenue, I shuffle down to the gym to undo said snacking. Met by faded floorboards, Evian and decorative wallpaper the whole Crosby experience feels akin to staying in a very wealthy, extremely stylish friend’s home. Someone who knows they need to exercise, but recognises it doesn’t have to be in a horrible-looking room. What morons we are for not visiting sooner.

Brandishing a titanic thirst and Mr Smith’s new [insert impressive specifications here] camera lens, we head down for a cocktail in the sculpture garden. It’s one of Crosby’s two outdoor spaces, well three: they also have a rooftop vegetable garden that is plundered for the restaurant (chooks included), just one element of an impressive eco-attitude that saw them win the Leed gold award for the greenest hotel in New York state.

Being a balmy summer’s evening, the main courtyard, feathered with a jungle of boisterous plants and elegant wooden furniture and industrial light-hangings from zigzagging overhead wires; it is littered with attractive creative types, the kind who keep the thick-rimmed glasses trade alive. I thoroughly enjoy overhearing their conversations and it is with indignation and tipsiness Mr Smith shuffles me to dinner in the ground-level restaurant or, as they would prefer you think of it, ‘a great bar that serves great food’.

Despite a meal of many, many small plates in the Crosby Bar 12 hours earlier, I can’t get downstairs quick enough the next morning. Manhattan excels at dinner, lunch, and brunch, but breakfast is the domain of the English, and with its British roots I know we’ll be in for a treat at the Crosby. Just glimpsing a toast-rack amid the colourful interior makes my heart skip. I order the fig French toast and 56 cups of tea to celebrate.

Jittery with caffeine, we set off to unleash our cheeringly strong Aussie dollar onto Soho. Located a few, tourist-saturated steps from both Spring Street and Broadway, the Crosby simply could not be in a better location. Foodies revel in being able to see Balthazar from the front door, and knowing La Esquina, Café Habana, Dutch, Public, Freemans and the Meatball Shop are a block or two away. Art-lovers are amid a mess of galleries, while those who are keen to spend up in Manhattan’s most desirable shopping district.

We love being in the crazy, beating heart of downtown NYC and then walking 50 metres up Crosby Street's cobblestones into immediate calm. Retreating to a luxurious, cool oasis after spending a day rabble-rousing in one of the most energetic cities in the world is pretty unbeatable.

Despondently we drag our swollen luggage down the next day (a little dramatic considering we’d been given a two-hour check-out reprieve without a blink of an eye). We realise, sadly, we’ve forgotten to make use of the Poltrona Frau-seated screening room and the plush guest-only drawing roomwith its famous Firmdale honesty bar, something I couldn’t fathom existed. That I’m astounded by the concept of people drinking what they want and then just writing down how much the owe doesn’t say much about my faith in human beings. It does, however say a lot about the Crosby, and what they think of their stayers-over.

This five-star hotel is neither stuffy or predictable; nor is it an annoyingly hip hotspot devoid of personality. The CSH is a lively, fresh take on hospitality, a design lover’s nirvana with boutique chic and an authentic sense of homeliness.

Too bad it has such – ahem – a big head.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel with us, we'll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in Crosby Street Hotel's Guestbook below.

Charles Gordon

GoldSmith

Stayed on
23 Dec 2014

We loved

Perfectly positioned in SoHo. On a quiet street, ensuring good rest and peace and quiet, yet only a few steps from Broadway, and a bevy of fabulous shops. The rooms are sumptuous with crisp linens, impeccably clean bathrooms and are spacious, especially for a NYC hotel. The foyer is inviting and the guest lounge makes for a perfect place to meet friends. The hotel restaurant serves a delicious breakfast.

Don’t expect

Crosby Street is quiet because it is still a bit industrial, so the immediate area around the hotel is a bit grungy. However as soon as you enter the hotel an oasis of cool and cleanliness envelops you.

Rating:
9/10 stars

Brett

BlackSmith

Stayed on
29 Nov 2014 No. not a kids place

We loved

Stayed 7 nights for an extended business trip. Very friendly staff in all areas. Beautifully finished - a little Soho sanctuary.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Jane

GoldSmith

Stayed on
10 Sep 2014

We loved

I love the decor of the hotel and the staff were spot on from the moment you walk through the door making you immediately feel at ease. The hotel is also a short walking distance away from SoHo's wonderful shopping and dining experiences.

Lori

We loved

It's hard to find fault with a hotel that were able to accommodate our every request! The staff were all so welcoming to us and the children.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Alla

BlackSmith

Stayed on
7 Aug 2014

We loved

My room was awesome. The view, the furnishings, the style, the bed and linens and the bathroom – awesome!

Don’t expect

There was a bit of a wait to get to the room.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Karen

BlackSmith

Stayed on
6 Jun 2014

We loved

The size of the rooms for New York is fantastic, and the floor-to-ceiling glass walls with amazing sound proofing are spectacular. The beds are incredibly comfortable. Room service was very accommodating and attentive. The decor is very feminine, but my husband still enjoyed the light, bright, cheerful decor. The shower has fantastic water pressure. And when we left a note for house keeping requesting an iron it was there like a fairy godmother was taking care of us when we returned.

Don’t expect

I thought it would have been nice to have been offered a tour of the hotel, or provided with information on available services within the hotel. For example, we didn't know about the honor bar and thought the drawing room was only available for private parties. Service was slow in the garden bar, but that was likely because it was serviced through the honor bar – we didn't know that.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Darren

BlackSmith

Stayed on
27 Dec 2013

We loved

I liked the easy comfort, quality and style of fittings, accommodation and service.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Marie

SilverSmith

Stayed on
22 May 2013

We loved

The hotel is gorgeously decorated and comfortable. Out room was on the 11th floor and looked out over the rooftops, which made for great people watching. The floor-to-ceiling windows with cushions were perfect! We recommend a high floor, facing the back. Our room was 1101 and just lovely! We had a welcome gift of bath oil and mid-way through a gift of two delicious macaroons as a 'hope you are enjoying your stay' gift. What a lovely touch that was! Bar has a great vibe and the courtyard garden is a little oasis. It is situated perfectly to enjoy the amazing shopping of SoHo (there is a map of shops in minibar!), and there are lots of subway stations around so it's only 15 minutes to get to up town. The concierge gave us great recommendations and the staff generally was lovely.

Don’t expect

Nothing! We loved this place and will definitely go back.

Rating:
10/10 stars

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